


An Encounter with the King

by obsessivenotetaker



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/F, Other, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 16:33:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13391811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessivenotetaker/pseuds/obsessivenotetaker
Summary: This picks up from the end of season 7 to the beginning of season 8. Natalie Rhodes has worked with the Winchesters from the get go. At first, it was here and there until Lilith was breaking all the seals. It's where she stuck around for good to help the Winchesters save the world. Over and over again.





	An Encounter with the King

Natalie walked into the very lonely cabin that was deep within the woods. Her dirty boots scraped across the old, wooden floor until she reached the dining room table that was straight out of the 1970s. Bobby hadn't touched it since then, it looked like. Not that she was complaining. 

On the table sat a bottle of Jim Beam that she had been previously drinking before she had left a few days before. Natalie set her bloody machete on the table and grabbed her bottle with her stained hand.

Quickly, she unscrewed the top and took a big hit, savoring the alcohol and still mad at herself she had forgotten to take any on her vampire hunt. She hated the blood suckers because they were so messy and just down right annoying. They were also incredibly full of themselves and she couldn't stand that type of behavior.

For some reason, the nest she took out seemed a bit off. There was something about it that threw her into a tiny loop but she guessed that everything she had been through in the past six months, alone, would make anyone feel weird about anything.

After downing a bit of the alcohol, she set the bottle aside and decided it was best to get out of her blood-stained clothes and take a shower to soften up her aching muscles. It was a pain she was used to after all her years of hunting. It took a lot to stop her.

-

She returned to the kitchen, her hair damp and body tired but she had something important she needed to do. While pouring another serving of some good Jim, she pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number she remembered by heart listening to it ring. 

Her eyes looked around the very dated cabin she loved. This was one of Bobby's locations that he gave only to her. During the giant Apoca-shitstorm when Lucifer busted out trying to end life on Earth with the four horsemen, Bobby told Natalie that if for some reason they made it out alive, then she needed to be even more careful than she already was. And that meant that sometimes she would have to fly solo.

While she knew that Dean and Sam were nothing but protective of her and wanted to have her best interest in their plans, their surroundings had to force them to think otherwise sometimes and being alone to handle something for a short period of time could potentially help wonderfully. 

She never told them about this location and it was basically Bobby's dying wish to never disclose it. It was his last way of protecting her and she treasured it with all her heart. Which was why she kept most of it the way Bobby left it except for the mattress that she still wondered how in the world he slept on it. 

The call lead to voicemail, as she expected it to and she listened intently to the voicemail message. 

"Hey, Natalie. I'm destroying this phone tomorrow, like always and on to the run to the next location. I...hope I get to see you soon. Thanks for taking care of me. I hope you find Sam and Dean soon. No offense, but a team of people who know what they were doing would help me feel a little better about this whole thing. Anyways, I'm good for now. Leave you the next message soon. Bye."

Natalie grinned just a bit as she hung up and let out a small sigh. She felt so bad for Kevin. His entire world turned upside down in one day and now he was running and hiding from the king of hell himself. Natalie still didn't know what Crowley wanted with him but she knew it wasn't anything good. So, it was best to keep him safe and away from the headache that was Crowley. 

She let herself drop onto the couch and close her eyes to take a nap. Her mind was racing, however, because she was wondering where the Winchesters were. It all ended in a black, gooey mess and she tried to trace Dean and Cas down but ended up nowhere. Sam had left that building after Dick hit the fan and never returned. If there is one thing about Sam that Natalie learned was that, if he didn't want to be found you wouldn't find him. She just hoped he was okay. She was sure, he was on his own mission to find Dean but Natalie wished he would have asked her for help. 

The huntress needed to clear her mind and think of something that made her calm down and not riled up. It was hard to do when you lived the life she had where a monster could come at any moment and decide to make you their dinner. Or stopping the Apocalypse. Or trying to calm down angels while they're having a civil war. Or kill off leviathans. 

But something did come to mind, much to Natalie's surprise, and it was Charlie. That redheaded nerd had left an impression on her and she welcomed it. After finding Natalie's number through some quick coding and hacking, Charlie started to talk to the huntress in an innocent yet amorous way. They flirted back and forth, in secret from the Winchesters cause, for once, this was just Natalie's. Her own little slice of normal and she didn't want anyone to know about it. She liked Charlie and hoped to see her some day. But, there was something about the computer genius that was ominous. She had her own story, much like Natalie, that she kept in the dark. The huntress was not one to pry but her curiosity was slowly starting to pick at her. She hoped that one day, she would learn more about her cute, little, con going, nerd. 

-

Natalie had no idea when she had fallen asleep but when she woke up, something felt off. It took her awhile to come to but when she did, she heard knocking at her door and she immediately went into alert mode. Who the hell had found this place? 

She got up from the couch, grabbing a gun along the way which she placed against the door in a discrete manner and opened it with her free hand only to find a crying child. This only got stranger. 

"Help! My mommy is in trouble!" He said in hysterics and Natalie hesitated for a moment before putting down the gun and stooping down to his level to try and calm him down. 

"What happened, little guy?" She asked him in a sweet tone, eyes on their perimeter every now and then but focusing on him as well.

"There was black smoke and then my mommy's eyes turned black too! She tried to hurt me!" He exclaimed and Natalie gritted her teeth.

"Crowley..." She mumbled, knowing that no good son of a bitch was up to this. 

She quickly tucked the boy inside her cabin and told him to wait right there as she ran into her room to grab some more weapons. But as soon as she returned, the boy had was on his knees, breaking the devil's trap on the floor with a pocket knife. 

"Hey!" Natalie exclaimed and the boy ran out the door before she even had a chance to start, "Son of a bitch.." She muttered out and watched as Crowley now entered her cabin in a calm fashioned and smiled at her. 

"Careful now, there are children present." He told her in the British accent she had grown to hate each day. 

"You've hit a new low. Getting children to do work you can't do yourself." Natalie retorted with a smirk as she decided to grab another glass of Jim Beam. 

"I have to say, you've made it very difficult. I was always fond of you and still wonder why you waste your potential on Moose and Squirrel." He said, hands in the pockets of his trench coat and walking around her tiny cabin. 

"I'll take it as a compliment." She replied, eyes on him the entire time and sipping more of the alcohol in her glass, "Did you come all the way out here just to tell me that?" 

"You know why I'm here, darling." He pressed on, eyes looking at the pictures hanging on the wall Bobby took time out to hang. 

"Wanna fill me in?" She asked, acting clueless while tilting her head. His eyes met hers. 

"This is the Winchesters rubbing off you. You're smarter than this. We both know you've been helping sweet, little Kevin. I just want to know where he is and I'll be on my merry way." He said, taking a few steps closer to her but still keeping his distance. 

"Actually, I haven't. I lost him the night Dick decided to implode. I've been trying to track him ever since so, your guess is as good as mine." She said, finishing off her drink and placing the glass in the sink.

Crowley seemed to sigh deeply, signaling in two of his henchmen to walk in beside him. Natalie examined them and tried to play out her odds in this situation. They weren't good. 

He motioned his head as if indicating the one on his right to do something and, quickly, the demon followed by pulling out a small device and pressing play. Natalie's heart started beating a little faster the moment she was hearing Kevin's message being played back to her. She kept her demeanor as best as she could.

"Those vampires you knocked out were only a distraction for one of my guys to wire your phone." Crowley said, looking at her with a smirk filled face and shrugging his shoulder, "I'm trying to be nice her. Let me ask again, where is the prophet off to?" 

"Clever. You'd think you're actually good at what you do or something." She taunted with a smirk of her own, eyes still on the two demons besides Crowley. 

"You know there is no one here to help you, right? If you went missing, the only one who would notice is someone who can't walk the street without having their hand held. Sam and Dean aren't here to help you." He reminded him so coldly and Natalie tried to roll her eyes.

"I've been fine. I can get myself out of some sticky situations." She said confidently as Crowley let out a snicker. 

"I tried, sweetheart. I really did. That's okay, I'll give you another chance soon." He said and snapped his fingers making his men disappear and then reappear next to Natalie to hold her arms hard and roughly as she grunted in discomfort. Crowley walked up to her, slipped a finger under her chin to make her look at him straight into his eyes, smirk only growing on his round face. 

"You're wasting your time. I don't know anything about Kevin." She said, chuckling just a bit to try and prove her point but he wasn't having it. 

"Dean and Sam have been to hell and both had an unpleasant time. It's only natural you go next." He threatened and Natalie started to feel the fear growing within her. She had heard nothing but horror stories coming from two of the strongest people she knew and it was enough for her to never want to go unless absolutely necessary. Now it seemed like this was going to become an unwanted reality. 

"What, you gonna throw me in the pit with Lucy and his brother?" She said as if it was no big deal even though the thought terrified her. 

"Take you away from two brothers that fight over daddy issues to put you into a place where other brothers are fighting over daddy issues? You're better than that." He said, patting her cheeks before letting her face go even though she was still looking at him, "There is one thing that Sam and Dean didn't deal with when they were in hell and that...was the king. You, my darling, are in for a terrible time." 

 

-

5 months later... 

Natalie walked up to the wooden table of the dining room and slammed a map onto it, pointing to Wyoming with a grin. Dean looked at her with a curious gaze out of the corner of his eyes, as Sam looked at the map after setting down his book. 

"You quizzin' me on my states and capitols?" Dean asked, kicking his feet off the chair he had rested them on to sit straighter while getting a better look on the map. Natalie rolled her eyes. 

"A guy has a twitter where he's talking about the spirit of a ghost boy haunting the crap out of him out of the blue. He's posted pictures and videos which are pretty much the list of things you need to prove you have a ghost only to be found in his locked apartment on the 5th floor, dead. Two days later, same building, a woman, same encounters, dead. Locked apartment. Let's go fry some bones!" Natalie said with a grin as the brothers looked at her with intrigue. 

"Seem a little enthused about burning some bones." Sam said with a smile as he started to get up and slip on his jacket as Dean did the same. 

"I feel like I've been cooped up in here forever. Time to stretch the legs." She replied, slipping the information she got into her bag to take with them.

"Still. Tone it down a little and show some sort of sympathy, will ya Natty?" Dean joked softly, starting to walk towards the front door with Sam only Natalie wasn't following them. They stopped to turn around and look at her confused.

"You coming?" Sam asked, a quirked eyebrow and worried expression. 

Natalie was staring at them for a moment, not saying anything as she looked at the floor completely defeated. 

"What's the matter?" Dean asked, slowly walking towards her as her body started to tremble.

"Dean's never called me Natty..." She mumbled softly as Sam and Dean looked at themselves completely clueless on what was going on. 

"Natalie, what're-" Dean started to say but she cut him off, looking at him with watered eyes. 

"I get it, okay!? You got me again." She said pained and dropping to her knees as her surroundings started to disappear and Sam and Dean turned into the demons that Crowley had sent in that day to play make believe with Natalie, causing her chest to ache. She was still in hell and her misery was yet to be over. 

The king of hell clapped slowly as he walked up to her and gazed at her broken demeanor. For 5 months, he had kept her downstairs with him, torturing her every day for information only to have her will win which was something that both astonished and frustrated him. It became a routine that just got harder and harder. Nothing seemed to be breaking her. She was much stronger than he had anticipated and his place as king was being judged. So, it was time to up it. 

"I'll tell my boys to fix that next time. This fantasy didn't play out long enough for my taste. No matter. Shall we, darling?" He said as the two demons who disguised themselves as Sam and Dean grabbed Natalie and dragged her through the halls of hell, following their king to the room she had grown too familiar with. 

But Crowley had other plans this time. 

As Natalie stayed there, on her knees and wrists bound behind her back, she started to brace herself for whatever was going to nearly kill her once again. That was his trick. He got her to the point she mentally wished she was dead but never got her to voice it. She was close, though. She was so close to breaking. It never ended. Everything that hurt took forever to heal and once it did, it was done all over again. Slowly but surely making her lose her mind she was so sure she had a tight grip on. He made her doubt all of her conviction and strength. 

Crowley went up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and before they knew it, they were in a warehouse somewhere unknown to her. She looked around confused, happy she could smell the fresh air on Earth once again but confused as to why she was here. 

"Don't get optimistic." The king warned her as his men strapped her down to a chair; a position she was conditioned to feel as normal. 

"I'm just confused." She said, grunting a bit at the sting of how tight her bounds were and looking at Crowley cautiously, trying not to show an ounce of fear. 

"Today we're doing something different. We've been at this long enough that I'm growing bored of you. But you still have vital information I need. You could have made this easier on yourself. You really could have. It's a shame, really, how much those two idiots rubbed off on you." He said, pacing around in front of her as a tray appeared next to him. Natalie raised a brow. 

"I like to call it charm..." She said, using her last bits of wit, not knowing what was to come. 

Crowley walked over to the tray as one of his men put on an apron. That was new to her. He then put on rubber gloves before picking up a blade she had never seen before and was not eager to know where it came from. 

"I've made a new toy for you. It wasn't easy to do and was incredibly tedious to get my hands on, but, it's here and I would love to see just how well it works." He said walking up to her slowly, her heart already trying to escape from her chest. 

"Toys? Crowley, you should buy me a drink first..." She retorted, eyes on the silver blade not even knowing what it could do because, given that he had made it, it was not your ordinary blade. 

"You've been confronted with much larger blades than this, I'm fully aware. But, size doesn't always matter, sweetheart."

"Beg to differ."

"This blade, was fabricated with many things in order for it to work like a satellite, if you will." He said, admiring his weapon as Natalie kept staring at it in fear of what he meant, "It channels the pains of the souls I have back at home. So, not only are we going to be giving you some nice carvings, darling, it will be riddled with the pain and torment of millions of souls being ripped into pieces." He said with a smirk so proud it made Natalie shiver. 

"You're bluffing..." She said, unable to believe that such a thing existed and that he would be the one to wield it. 

Crowley swiftly took the blade to her forearm, creating a painful gash that normally would have made Natalie squirm and grunt a bit, but she would eventually be able to get over it. She was so used to physical pain from many different things. Knives, unfortunately, were a staple among most monsters. But this pain almost left her blind by how intense it was. She screamed louder than she had ever screamed before, feeling nothing but a burning sensation go through her entire body. It felt as though her skin was being torn apart as each and every single bone in her body snapped one by one. Not to mention that the cut glowed orange and red as if symbolizing the fires of hell.

After her screams had come to an end, she stared at her wound with eyes wider than ever before, body trembling over the pain she had just experienced. Her light eyes trailed up to meet Crowley's as he held the knife so carelessly in his hand, smirking at her now crushing demeanor. 

"I think you've met your match, my love. Make this easier on yourself. Tell me where the prophet is and we're done. If not, we can start to play over the areas that hurt the most. Your choice." 

-

Sam and Dean were in the car, driving back to another cabin that Bobby had left behind in silence. One that the three hunters knew well about and went to frequently. There was still some tension between them, ever since they reunited. Dean had told his brother that he was in Purgatory this past year, fighting every monster they had already faced alongside Castiel. But, Dean was angry. He was angry at the fact that Sam had left and went off to find a normal life somewhere. Leaving behind responsibilities and priorities he had trusted his brother with. Not to mention the no attempt to try and find him. Even though Sam's intentions were those to keep the promise they made with each other long ago, Dean was seething. 

"Dean..." Sam started to say but he was shushed. 

"Stop. We're not doing this. Right now, we've gotta focus on finding both Natalie and Kevin. Cause, newsflash, there's no trace of them!" He expressed, mixing both his worry and frustration in his tone. Sam sighed. 

"I know, Dean." He said, eyeing his brother before looking at the road ahead of them, "I'll try calling-" He started to say but a cellphone started to ring that shut the both of them up. It was one of Bobby's old phones that neither of them knew was in there.

They had just gotten back into the Impala, since Dean returned just a few days prior and spent most of their time in the cabin trying to figure out where to find Kevin and Natalie. The older Winchester answered the phone by putting it on speaker. 

"Dean!?" A voice exclaimed, causing the Winchester to hit the brakes on the Impala at the sound of Kevin's voice. 

"Kevin!? Is that you!?" Dean asked right back, looking at Sam in disbelief over the coincidence that they got a call from one of the very people they were looking for.

"Are you back? Where have you been? Is Sam there? Where's Natalie!?" He blurted out and Sam took a moment to try and get him to relax but Kevin wasn't having any of it, "You don't get it! Natalie had a sacred way of keeping track of me and keeping me safe. This phone was a last resort in case I couldn't reach her or she didn't call one of the burners. I've been calling her for months." He said which only caused both brothers’ stomach to twist.

"Kevin, tell us where you are and we're on our way. We need to get you safe and to talk." Dean ordered as Sam started to take down notes on where his location was and how to get there.

-

Natalie was lying on the floor, body dirty, face splattered with dried blood, her soul broken and her mind twisted. Crowley and his men got what they wanted and the king basically left her for dead after their excruciatingly painful encounter. In the end, Natalie divulged everything just as he knew she would. 

She laid there wondering if this was how she was going to die. She had no idea how long she was there but it felt like forever. She couldn't move a single centimeter because it just hurt and she had lost the will to do so. It didn't matter because Crowley got the information he needed, in the end. 

The huntress closed her eyes and began to pray. She had screamed for Castiel but he didn't show. Where the hell was he? Where was Sam? Where was Dean? She screamed for all of them, but no one showed up. She wasn't even sure if anyone would show up to save her.

She asked for help inside of her mind cause her voice had blown out due to all the screaming she had just endured and speaking was too much of a high order for her at the moment. She hoped it still worked as her body was slowly giving up on her. 

Sadness is what she was feeling. Regret over things she hadn't done yet, things she had, wishes of things she hadn't said and people to hug. She was sad that she would die and no one would know. 

But as her eyes began to close, a bright white light started to blind her. A silhouette made itself appear and slowly approached her but before she could even muster up energy, she tapped out and gave in to her pain and severely under rested body.

-

It took another few days and fighting off some of Crowley's demons, but the boys got to Kevin before anyone else did and they were able to take him to the cabin the Winchesters were staying at. 

They were all caught up on the tremendous dedication that Natalie had towards keeping Kevin safe and in one piece. The guilt that both Winchesters were feeling was something neither of them could describe nor wanted to. 

Sam and Dean did know that Crowley was behind this and if he was, then nothing good came of it and the hope that Natalie was still alive and well was starting to wear thin among them all. Even though no one wanted to voice it. 

While they were at the table, going over and over information as to where to look for their beloved huntress, Natalie was outside, slowly making her way to the front door. She didn't know how she got there, but all she remembered was the insane amount of pain, a white light and passing out. When she woke up, she was in the grass not too far from Dean's Impala. This seemed to be the regular M.O. for them all. But this time it was Natalie's turn.

She wasn't about to question it. Whatever the thing was, she assumed angel, gave her enough strength to walk and go up to the cabin's front door. If the Impala was here, then Sam and Dean were here too. Only they could have found the cabin that Bobby had left her and that's where Baby was. 

While groaning just a bit to herself, she lifted her arm to knock on the wooden door, ready to just hug the Winchesters and have some good happen to her for the first time in 5 months. She was anxious and was done with waiting. She knocked on the door again, her eyes welling up with tears as the knob turned and then was in front of Sam and Dean who were looking at her in complete and utter shock. 

"Nat..." Dean mustered out, as his green eyes looked over her crumbled demeanor that broke his heart in half. The way he said her name alone was enough for her to tell that this was really him. Not one demon was going to be able to replicate the genuine emotion and surprise behind Dean's voice or in Sam's gaze no matter how hard they tried. 

Instead of saying anything, she let herself fall into the Winchester's arms, crying into his chest as her exhaustion made her even more emotional than she usually was. The fact that she was crying already alarmed the boys since she was hardly ever one to do so. 

They both lead her to the couch where she saw that Kevin had taken a seat and she brought him into a hug. 

"Oh my god. Oh my god I'm so sorry, Kevin. I'm so sorry..." She said, holding him tightly as he did the same. 

"You kept me alive. Don't be sorry..." he mumbled back at her in their embrace as she was grateful that Sam and Dean got to him before Crowley had a chance to catch up. 

"Nat, I know you're probably exhausted but, can you tell us what happened?" Sam asked, in a tone that soothed Natalie's heart because it was so honest and it undoubtedly made her believe this truly was the one and only Winchester.

Her body quivered, however, at the thought of where she was this entire time. The emotional and physical abuse Crowley had put her through was nothing short of absolutely torturous and she didn't want to go into detail about it. Not just yet, or ever. 

"All I'm gonna say is that I was hiding Kevin, Crowley caught on. It took him forever to find me..." She said with the tiniest of smiles because she was proud that she had made it difficult for him, "And once he did, let’s just say he didn't make it fun to get information. Alright?" She said, looking down at herself and her torn, bloodstained clothes. 

The Winchesters took a breath as they also looked over her beaten state feeling the weight of the guilt plunge into their stomachs simultaneously. Dean eyed Sam with anger that Natalie caught on before she was the one who started to ask questions. 

"I'm not back five minutes and you two are mad at each other. Where the hell were you?" She asked, looking at both of them. 

Sam sat up straight as Dean looked away with furrowed brows as they both had very different reasons as to where they were and what they were doing. 

"I..." Dean started to say before making eye contact with Natalie who he loved so much and hated to see her so defeated, "Was in Purgatory." He admitted with a hurt gaze. 

"What?! As in world of monsters, Purgatory!?" She exclaimed to which Dean nodded, "How the hell did you get out?" 

"I'm working on that..." He replied with a sarcastic chuckle and letting it be at as Natalie took it for what it was. If Dean wasn't sure just yet, they just needed time. They had done it before. 

Her gaze now fell on Sam who looked like a dog in the rain full of shame. She was trying to prepare herself for what he had to say. 

"I never did anything to try and hurt anybody..." Sam started to say which only ignited worry in the huntress while Dean scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. 

"Meaning?" Natalie asked, taking her eyes away from Dean and back to Sam. 

"He was playing house." Dean stated angrily and taking a sip from his drink as Kevin looked at them both and back at Natalie for her reaction. 

"It wasn't playing. Her name is Amelia. When I knew Dean was gone and knew there wasn't a way I could bring him back...I..." Sam started to say but let it trail off as Natalie sat there a bit stunned over his admission to his whereabouts. 

It took her a moment to contemplate this. She had every single right to be angry at him. To get up and kick his ass because God knew she was better than both Winchesters put together when it came to fighting. She had a right to scream in his face, to cry and tell him the things Crowley put her through as he was with a woman. 

But all of this would be an initial reaction. Throughout the time they knew each other, Natalie has seen Sam and Dean lose each other over and over again. In one of those times, Sam was very serious about a pact to never look for one another if shit hit the fan again. That once it was done, it was done. Dean never listened to the pact, but Sam did. And he went through with it. 

So, Natalie had a choice to make. It looked like Dean was already part of the team that wanted to ram Sam's head through a wall and Kevin looked like he would applaud the gesture, so Natalie opted for something else. 

"You did what I always knew you wanted to do. Not out of malice or bad intent. You did what you felt was right and no one can blame you for that. You trusted I could handle it, and I did but were here as soon as push came to shove. That's all that matters to me. Let Dean be mad, he's going to be for a while. I'm too tired to be mad and know we won't get anywhere if we're mad at each other." She told him as Sam's eyes lit up in amazement over her capacity to understand him as Dean looked absolutely appalled. 

"You're forgiving him?!" He asked, unable to believe that Natalie was so willing to just let it go. 

"He doesn't have anything to be sorry for. You wanna be mad? Fine, be mad. I don't have time for that bullshit. I want to deep fry myself a king of hell. So, either you get over your temper tantrum and help, or I'll put you down for a nap. It's up to you. But first, I'm gonna take a much-needed shower cause, if you didn't realize, I'm covered in my own damn blood. So yeah, Dean, I'm letting it go." She told him slowly getting up with Kevin immediately helping her and she smiled sweetly at him as she asked him to walk her to the bathroom which he did without hesitation.

Sam let out a breath of relief, unable to believe how well that went as Dean sat there thinking over Natalie's words. She was always the voice of reason when something came between the Winchesters and was always right. But, most of the times, they never really listened to her and that's why a lot of the crap that happened, happened. However, Sam going off with a woman he didn't know and leaving everyone and everything to rot was something Dean felt he couldn't get over just yet. It hurt him. 

He thought about his time in Purgatory, running from all the things that wanted to rip his insides out over and over again. He thought about running through those woods with Castiel. Then he thought about Castiel. His stomach turned at the memory of the angel not making it out with him. All the hunter could remember were those piercing blue eyes and the haunting 'no' he screamed as Dean was transported out of Purgatory and into the real, silent, world. 

Dean had too much going on in his head and the idea of Sam having left him in Purgatory to die was the last straw for him to remain cool about it. Maybe Natalie could do it, but Dean couldn't get on board. Not just yet. 

 

After she showered and ate something, Natalie crawled into a comfortable bed for the first time in what felt like eternity. And while the torment of hell and the bloody blade that Crowley cooked up were fresh in her mind, she needed to push them aside. The need for sleep was greater than anything else. 

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh knowing that working with the Winchesters again was going to be difficult given where they stood with each other. Not that this wasn't something she could handle. She was used to them being at odds with each other and forcing them to work together. It was more difficult, but Sam and Dean had a knack for choosing the more complicated route for things. At least you could say there was never a dull moment. 

While she was trying to go to bed, her phone went off letting her know she got a message. Natalie blinked her eyes open and grabbed her cellphone seeing a message that belonged to Charlie. How could she forget Charlie? The huntress smiled softly as she read the words 'Please tell me you're not dead...' on the screen and proceeded to text back. 

Nat: Not dead yet. Sorry I've been MIA, red.  
Charlie: Phew! You okay?  
Nat: Yeah. I've been busy with some things, is all.  
Charlie: Monster things?  
Nat: Yeah. Bad monster things.  
Charlie: Is everything okay now?  
Nat: I wish I could say that, red. It appears it's just beginning. Which made me think of something.  
Charlie: Oh?  
Nat: Lose this number. Erase all contact you've ever had with me. It's not because I don't want to talk to because, believe me, I do. It's the only way to keep you safe.  
Charlie: So... never talk to you again? 

Natalie stared at the last text for a moment. She realized what this meant and she didn't want any part of it, but she signed up for it the second she decided to become a hunter. Natalie had given up the right to normalcy and having romantic interests. Which is why she settled for flings because there was no emotional attachment. But Charlie stuck and Natalie let her stick. The shocking part of it all was that there hadn't been any physical contact. Last time Natalie saw the redhead was when they met for the first time with all the Dick crap that was happening.

The huntress wanted the nerd to be safe. To live her normal, D&D filled life. She deserved that and she deserved to live it with someone who could deliver that. 

Nat: I don't want that but it would be best. You deserve to be safe. I don't want things to track you and put you in harm's way, again. I'm sure you don't want that either. Go out and live your life. I'll be here to make sure you get to live it peacefully. 

There was a moment where Charlie didn't reply for a while. Natalie didn't blame her. For months, they'd been talking back and forth, being flirtatious, getting to know one another and letting their liking for each other grow. But all good things, for hunters, must come to an end. 

Charlie: I understand. It's been fun, cutie. Stay safe and I hope, one day, our paths cross again.  
Nat: Goodbye, Charlie xo

Natalie put her phone down and closed her eyes again only this time, she was saddened. She needed to get over it, though. Cause in the morning, they all needed to have a clear head to formulate a plan to keep Kevin safe and away from Crowley. And, also see if they could figure out what angel decided to be merciful and help Natalie as she was dying. 

One thing at a time, but, for now Natalie let herself get some well-deserved rest while dreaming about her stunning red headed nerd, one last time.


End file.
